Rwanda reiterates its strong support for CFC
21 January 2026, Amsterdam – The Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) had the honour of welcoming H.E. Mr. Lambert Dushimimana, Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, to its offices for the first time, and was warmly received by Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal, Managing Director of the CFC.
Ambassador Dushimimana was accompanied by Mr. Jean-Hughes Mukame, First Secretary at the Embassy, while Ambassador Belal was joined by and Ms. Zahra Kahla, Research and Data Assistant.
Following an exchange of courtesies, Ambassador Belal briefed his counterpart on the Fund’s ongoing work and the growing demand for its services. In response to this high demand, the CFC has launched the Agricultural Commodity Transformation (ACT) Fund, aiming to mobilize approximately USD 75 million, alongside a new SME financing window, supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), providing small-ticket financing and technical assistance to strengthen business capacity, enhance climate resilience, and reinforce local food systems. Ambassador Belal emphasized Rwanda’s strategic potential as a hub for piloting new projects and advancing the CFC’s commodity development strategy, particularly in coffee and tea, sectors where the country is a major exporter. Strengthening local partnerships and scaling innovative initiatives in Rwanda would allow the CFC to bring more projects on the ground, test inclusive models, and support smallholders and SMEs in generating sustainable impact.
The discussion highlighted the CFC’s existing engagement in Rwanda through COOPAC, a leading coffee enterprise founded in Rwanda in 2001. Originally established with 110 coffee farmers in the Gisenyi region, COOPAC now sources premium specialty coffee from more than 9,000 smallholder farmers in Rwanda and 7,000 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Through CFC financing, COOPAC has been able to expand its wet coffee-washing capacity in the DRC, a critical process for producing high-quality specialty coffee, while adding value through processing and certification. With a target of reaching up to 16,600 farmers, the project aims to create much-needed jobs while improving yields and net incomes for smallholder producers across the region.
To further strengthen its local presence and maximize development impact in Rwanda, Ambassador Belal highlighted the benefits of deepening collaboration with local development finance institutions and the Rwanda Cooperative Agency. These institutions’ strong field-level presence and understanding of local dynamics could help de-risk investments, lower financing costs, and support pipeline development, thereby accelerating the delivery of tangible results for farmers and SMEs.
Ambassador Belal highlighted the CFC’s flagship Humanizing Value Chains initiative as central to promoting inclusive and sustainable commodity development and improving livelihoods for smallholder farmers. He emphasized that smallholders often remain at the bottom of the value chain, selling raw commodities at low prices while most profits accrue further upstream. Ensuring peace and justice within value chains is therefore essential to enable smallholders and SMEs to capture a fair share of economic gains and to address the persistent disparity between global commodity wealth and farmer livelihoods.
Ambassador Dushimimana expressed his appreciation for the CFC’s leadership in advancing inclusive growth through commodity value chains and reaffirmed Rwanda’s strong commitment to the Fund’s mandate, citing its interest in stable, transparent, and equitable global markets. He also stressed that the challenges faced by the Absolute Sixteen or landlocked Least Developed Countries (LDCs), including Rwanda, must remain a central focus in United Nations discussions, as addressing these challenges is critical to ensuring equitable market access, inclusive growth, and sustainable development in commodity-dependent countries.
The meeting concluded with both Ambassadors expressing their resolve to remain in close contact and to follow up on the important issues discussed, building upon a shared history to meet the challenges of the future.
For media inquiries, please contact:
[CFC Media Relations Team]
[Email: managing.director@common-fund.org]
[Phone: +31 20 575 4949]